Euro 2016 touts sell Northern Ireland match tickets for £2,500 - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland fans George King with twin son s Mason and Christain before the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland fans L R Charlotte Cummings with her father Paul and sister Zoe from Antrim Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Mason King 12 with his father George King twin brother Christian and Daren Leighton from Donegal Pass Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fans L R Ethan Gibson 14 Lewis Orr McCauley 16 Mathew Gibson 12 Samantha Orr McCauley 6 and Grant Orr McCauley 11 Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland v Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland fans Mark Paul with his son Rhys and Gary from Newtownabbey Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fan Daniel Gracey 5 Ballymoney during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Buddy and Mylo watching at home Photo Kristine Hill David McLorn before going to Windsor Park Photo J McLorn Rory Beattie 8 months getting ready to watch the match Photo Linda Taylor Husband and wife Neil and Lorainne Fentie are looking forward to the big match against Hungary at Windsor Park Picture Matt Bohill Northern Ireland fans Matthew Kernaghan James Abraham Ryan Blakely and Ben Speers cant wait for the big match at Windsor Park Photo Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Little Jake Quinn who is to lead out the Hungarian national team at Windsor Park cheers on Northern Ireland on top of his dad Graham Quinn s shoulders Picture Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland Niall McGinn Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Stuart Dallas during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Chris Baird during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill right at this morning s training session Hungary awaits Picture David Hunter Hungary on the horizon as Northern Ireland train at Windsor Park Picture David Hunter Greedy touts are cashing in on Northern Ireland fans Euro 2016 misery by selling tickets at up to 2 500 a time A shortage of seats means hundreds of loyal supporters are set to miss our first major tournament in 30 years Yet tickets for Northern Ireland s three group fixtures are widely available online at vastly inflated prices Share Facebook Twitter Google Email Go To Comments The controversy over the tickets debacle showed no signs of abating yesterday as more angry fans came forward to vent their frustration at the IFA and Uefa Concerns have also been raised that supporters who attempted to buy cheaper tickets for France have missed out while those who can afford more expensive seats have been successful DUP MLA William Humphrey said A lot of working class people across the country people with family commitments and in employment are the ones who have been hit the worst It is a shame that the people who can t afford the more expensive tickets have been penalised The Belfast Telegraph has discovered that tickets for Northern Ireland games are being offered online at more than 20 times their face value while grassroots fans are left in limbo One ticket for Northern Ireland s game with Ukraine in Lyon worth 145 112 is being offered for 2 480 Dozens more tickets are available at four figure prices It has infuriated loyal members of the Green and White Army who have missed out on tickets Supporters spokesman Gary McAllister said Uefa needs to look at this and see what can be done to prevent it This is a wider issue within football where tickets are sold in good faith then appear on numerous sites at highly inflated prices Obviously we would advise fans not to buy tickets from those sources because it simply encourages this sort of activity It raises serious questions as to how tickets have fallen into these hands One site has several hundred tickets to Northern Ireland s three group games The cheapest ticket for the opening fixture against Poland is 197 10 times its official 25 19 price with the dearest costing 1 425 And tickets for the Germany clash are up to 1 653 each Mr Humphrey who was among those to miss out said It is very simple tickets should be going to genuine fans wanting to

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Euro 2016 ticket shambles: 'We never had faith in IFA to be honest' - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk more football has long since sold its soul to highest bidder How to Complain If you have a complaint about the editorial content of the Belfast Telegraph or Sunday Life then contact the Editor here If you are not satisfied with the response provided then you can contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation here From the web Sponsored Videos Your Comments COMMENT RULES Comments that are judged to be defamatory abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator s decision is final It is Belfast Telegraph policy to close comments on court cases tribunals and active legal investigations We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse Problems with commenting customercare belfasttelegraph co uk Powered by Livefyre Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Livefyre Read More Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none By Nevin Farrell A Northern Ireland fan whose photograph was used in a campaign urging people to go to Euro 2016 has himself missed out on tickets Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans By Steven Beacom The Irish FA have vowed to work closely with Uefa in the coming weeks to make sure that the 1 267 extra Euro 2016 tickets for Northern Ireland fans are allocated correctly this time Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener By Steven Beacom and Jonny Bell The IFA have said an extra 437 tickets will be released for Northern Ireland s opening Euro 2016 game against Poland Northern Ireland hero Gerry Armstrong Sort out our loyal fans over Euro 2016 tickets mess By Jonny Bell Gerry Armstrong has demanded football authorities ensure loyal Northern Ireland fans do not miss out on the team s Euro 2016 adventure in France Most Read Most Shared Most Commented Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none Euro 2016 Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans Euro 2016 Roy Keane Manchester United is in my DNA Steven Gerrard was good and I wanted to play Euro 2016 Panini sticker album marks Northern Ireland Euro 2016 heroics with elusive shiny Euro 2016 Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener Euro 2016 Pregnant woman booted off Belfast bus in blizzard because she didn t have change Northern Ireland Woman s body found on the M2 in Belfast near Bellevue Bridge Northern Ireland Cannabis oil transformed life of terminally ill brain tumour man Kieran McCrory Northern Ireland More than 500 000 watch Drumquin Northern Ireland men s sofa struggles Northern Ireland Boot out of rugby coaches who rush players with brain injuries back onto Northern Ireland James McClean involved in a touchline spat with Everton fan at Goodison Park Sinn Fein Northern chair steps down and replaced by Gerry Adams ex

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Euro 2016 tickets 'shambles': Sadly, Irish FA is no stranger to cock-ups like this - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Fifa directive implemented in July 2001 allowed players to regain amateur status after a 30 day period of inactivity The Glens were involved albeit indirectly last season when the IFA couldn t work out if a red card issued against Gary Hamilton should have triggered a playing suspension or not The Glenavon player manager who was a named substitute was sent from the touchline during a game against Linfield and then scored twice in a 4 2 win over Glentoran a week later The Glens cried foul and while the IFA Appeals Committee did agree that there was some merit in their claim that Hamilton should have been banned because Glenavon had been told that he was eligible they claimed that natural justice would not be served by giving Glentoran the points and the result stood Follow BelTel Sport Related Content Uefa slammed as system devised to reward loyalty descended into a lottery Euro 2016 tickets Why were loyal Northern Ireland fans cast aside Euro 2016 Northern Ireland fans vent fury over tickets shambles Uefa must help Northern Ireland supporters in their hour of need How to Complain If you have a complaint about the editorial content of the Belfast Telegraph or Sunday Life then contact the Editor here If you are not satisfied with the response provided then you can contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation here From the web Sponsored Videos Your Comments COMMENT RULES Comments that are judged to be defamatory abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator s decision is final It is Belfast Telegraph policy to close comments on court cases tribunals and active legal investigations We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse Problems with commenting customercare belfasttelegraph co uk Powered by Livefyre Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Livefyre Read More Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none By Nevin Farrell A Northern Ireland fan whose photograph was used in a campaign urging people to go to Euro 2016 has himself missed out on tickets Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans By Steven Beacom The Irish FA have vowed to work closely with Uefa in the coming weeks to make sure that the 1 267 extra Euro 2016 tickets for Northern Ireland fans are allocated correctly this time Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener By Steven Beacom and Jonny Bell The IFA have said an extra 437 tickets will be released for Northern Ireland s opening Euro 2016 game against Poland Northern Ireland hero Gerry Armstrong Sort out our loyal fans over Euro 2016 tickets mess By Jonny Bell Gerry Armstrong has demanded football authorities ensure loyal Northern Ireland fans do not miss out on the team s Euro 2016 adventure in France Most Read

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Euro 2016 tickets: Why were loyal Northern Ireland fans cast aside? - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland fans L R Charlotte Cummings with her father Paul and sister Zoe from Antrim Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Mason King 12 with his father George King twin brother Christian and Daren Leighton from Donegal Pass Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fans L R Ethan Gibson 14 Lewis Orr McCauley 16 Mathew Gibson 12 Samantha Orr McCauley 6 and Grant Orr McCauley 11 Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland v Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland fans Mark Paul with his son Rhys and Gary from Newtownabbey Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fan Daniel Gracey 5 Ballymoney during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Buddy and Mylo watching at home Photo Kristine Hill David McLorn before going to Windsor Park Photo J McLorn Rory Beattie 8 months getting ready to watch the match Photo Linda Taylor Husband and wife Neil and Lorainne Fentie are looking forward to the big match against Hungary at Windsor Park Picture Matt Bohill Northern Ireland fans Matthew Kernaghan James Abraham Ryan Blakely and Ben Speers cant wait for the big match at Windsor Park Photo Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Little Jake Quinn who is to lead out the Hungarian national team at Windsor Park cheers on Northern Ireland on top of his dad Graham Quinn s shoulders Picture Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland Niall McGinn Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Stuart Dallas during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Chris Baird during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill right at this morning s training session Hungary awaits Picture David Hunter Hungary on the horizon as Northern Ireland train at Windsor Park Picture David Hunter Tuesday morning Thousands of Northern Ireland supporters woke up to find an email from Uefa in their inbox Happy Days this is it confirmation of my tickets for Euro 2016 was what went through minds as excited fans opened the correspondence from European football s governing body For many there was that feeling of joy They got what they wanted Tickets to see Northern Ireland take on Poland Ukraine and Germany Share Facebook Twitter Google Email Go To Comments But for others there was disappointment frustration and anger as they were informed their application had been unsuccessful Given that 50 000 applications had been made for 29 000 tickets there were always going to be some who would miss out on the prize But with a priority scheme worked on by the Irish FA in conjunction with Uefa supposedly in operation to reward the most loyal of fans there was shock when it emerged that hundreds of supporters who had religiously followed the team home and away in the joyous Euro 2016 qualifying campaign were told they would not be going to the ball after all Outrage Fans were fuming and rightly so They had waited their whole lives for a day like this when they could dream about going to see Northern Ireland in a big tournament This should have been a day to celebrate Instead it became a day of despair Some block bookers season ticket holders for Northern Ireland games didn t get tickets for ANY of the three group games though the main problem related to the match against Poland in Nice on June 12 Northern Ireland s first game ever in the European Championships and their first in a major tournament since the 1986 World Cup As the morning passed and with social media in a frenzy word got out that hundreds upon hundreds of supporters who had acquired a large number of points in the priority scheme had been passed over for the historic game with the Poles yet others who had never been to a Northern Ireland game had been given the all clear to see Michael O Neill s men try to stop Robert Lewandowski So much for the priority booking scheme trumpeted by the IFA to reward our loyal supporters The IFA Uefa the Belfast Telegraph and other media organisations were inundated by infuriated supporters demanding answers Amid the storm IFA Chief Executive Patrick Nelson told this newspaper that he had been in contact with Uefa to tell them to resolve a problem that was becoming more contentious by the second Tellingly he added The priority system was supposed to reward our most loyal supporters We did some checks of the data ourselves and we were confident that the right

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Uefa must help Northern Ireland supporters in their hour of need - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk swiftly made available for the Poland match which we welcome We will also continue to ask for additional tickets to be made available We have 8 000 fans who purchased block booking tickets for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign How far that additional allocation will go to satisfying the number of people who have missed out I don t know but it is now vitally important that those tickets go to fans with the highest number of points That is the only fair way of distributing them You can t take tickets away from people who have already been told that their applications have been successful but we have also argued that Uefa who after all are the tournament organisers take control of what other tickets there are available for the match and not allow them to go on sale to anyone else Tickets were made available last summer in a blind lottery when people bought tickets even though they didn t know what teams were going to be playing in particular matches There is a window next month when these can be sold on We would ask that Uefa take responsibility for redistributing these and give them to the people who are deserving of them Gary McAllister is the Chairman of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs Follow BelTel Sport Related Content Latest Uefa move leaves the door ajar for more tickets How to Complain If you have a complaint about the editorial content of the Belfast Telegraph or Sunday Life then contact the Editor here If you are not satisfied with the response provided then you can contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation here From the web Sponsored Videos Your Comments COMMENT RULES Comments that are judged to be defamatory abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator s decision is final It is Belfast Telegraph policy to close comments on court cases tribunals and active legal investigations We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse Problems with commenting customercare belfasttelegraph co uk Powered by Livefyre Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Livefyre Read More Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none By Nevin Farrell A Northern Ireland fan whose photograph was used in a campaign urging people to go to Euro 2016 has himself missed out on tickets Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans By Steven Beacom The Irish FA have vowed to work closely with Uefa in the coming weeks to make sure that the 1 267 extra Euro 2016 tickets for Northern Ireland fans are allocated correctly this time Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener By Steven Beacom and Jonny Bell The IFA have said an extra 437 tickets will be released for Northern Ireland s

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Uefa slammed as system devised to reward loyalty descended into a lottery - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk via Twitter watching hopefully later in sunny Orlando with kirstywoo85 Actor Glenn Speers GlennSpeers via Twitter I ll be following score in my dressing room in The Commitments at The Palace Theatre London Euro 2016 Qualifier Northern Ireland Vs Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland legend David Healy watching the match with fans Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye J McLorn with his son David at Windsor Park Pic J McLorn Northern Ireland fans during this evenings game at Windsor park Photo Colm Lenaghan Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland fans during this evenings game at Windsor park Photo Colm Lenaghan Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans during the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans during today s game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland fans George King with twin son s Mason and Christain before the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland fans L R Charlotte Cummings with her father Paul and sister Zoe from Antrim Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Mason King 12 with his father George King twin brother Christian and Daren Leighton from Donegal Pass Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fans L R Ethan Gibson 14 Lewis Orr McCauley 16 Mathew Gibson 12 Samantha Orr McCauley 6 and Grant Orr McCauley 11 Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland v Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland fans Mark Paul with his son Rhys and Gary from Newtownabbey Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fan Daniel Gracey 5 Ballymoney during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Buddy and Mylo watching at home Photo Kristine Hill David McLorn before going to Windsor Park Photo J McLorn Rory Beattie 8 months getting ready to watch the match Photo Linda Taylor Husband and wife Neil and Lorainne Fentie are looking forward to the big match against Hungary at Windsor Park Picture Matt Bohill Northern Ireland fans Matthew Kernaghan James Abraham Ryan Blakely and Ben Speers cant wait for the big match at Windsor Park Photo Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Little Jake Quinn who is to lead out the Hungarian national team at Windsor Park cheers on Northern Ireland on top of his dad Graham Quinn s shoulders Picture Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland Niall McGinn Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Stuart Dallas during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Chris Baird during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill right at this morning s training session Hungary awaits Picture David Hunter Hungary on the horizon as Northern Ireland train at Windsor Park Picture David Hunter It s our biggest game for 30 years Northern Ireland versus Poland in Nice on the beautiful French Riviera on June 12 But some of the Green and White Army s most loyal followers will not be there to see it Share Facebook Twitter Google Email Go To Comments Just how did the IFA and Uefa get it so wrong Let s start with the obvious demand was always going to exceed supply Less than 30 000 tickets had been allocated to Northern Ireland supporters for the three group games against the Poles Ukraine and Germany Yet 50 000 plus applications had been made by fans desperate to be part of our first major tournament since the 1986 World Cup Even with an extra 1 000 tickets made available yesterday simple mathematics dictates that some are going to be disappointed However the allocation of tickets has caused most anger Some who have been part of the ride right through the qualifying journey and during previous campaigns appear to have missed out Others who attended just a handful of games have struck lucky The opening game against Poland at the 35 000 capacity Stade de Nice has been a particular problem albeit an extra release of tickets yesterday should help Exactly what happened is not quite clear but it appears that previous assurances that fans loyalty would be rewarded have counted for little The Irish FA said the problem lies with Uefa European football s governing body Chief executive Patrick Nelson indicated that a priority system meant to reward loyal fans didn t work

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Euro 2016 Northern Ireland tickets: UEFA to set up portal for fans to buy 1,000 extra Poland tickets - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Stephen Warke getting in the mood for Northern Ireland v Greece Colin ards1985 via Twitter watching hopefully later in sunny Orlando with kirstywoo85 Actor Glenn Speers GlennSpeers via Twitter I ll be following score in my dressing room in The Commitments at The Palace Theatre London Euro 2016 Qualifier Northern Ireland Vs Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland legend David Healy watching the match with fans Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye J McLorn with his son David at Windsor Park Pic J McLorn Northern Ireland fans during this evenings game at Windsor park Photo Colm Lenaghan Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland fans during this evenings game at Windsor park Photo Colm Lenaghan Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans during the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans during today s game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland s fans before the game at Windsor Park in Belfast Photo David Maginnis Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland fans George King with twin son s Mason and Christain before the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland fans L R Charlotte Cummings with her father Paul and sister Zoe from Antrim Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Mason King 12 with his father George King twin brother Christian and Daren Leighton from Donegal Pass Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fans L R Ethan Gibson 14 Lewis Orr McCauley 16 Mathew Gibson 12 Samantha Orr McCauley 6 and Grant Orr McCauley 11 Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland v Hungary at Windsor Park Belfast Northern Ireland fans Mark Paul with his son Rhys and Gary from Newtownabbey Picture by Jonathan Porter PressEye Northern Ireland fan Daniel Gracey 5 Ballymoney during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Buddy and Mylo watching at home Photo Kristine Hill David McLorn before going to Windsor Park Photo J McLorn Rory Beattie 8 months getting ready to watch the match Photo Linda Taylor Husband and wife Neil and Lorainne Fentie are looking forward to the big match against Hungary at Windsor Park Picture Matt Bohill Northern Ireland fans Matthew Kernaghan James Abraham Ryan Blakely and Ben Speers cant wait for the big match at Windsor Park Photo Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Little Jake Quinn who is to lead out the Hungarian national team at Windsor Park cheers on Northern Ireland on top of his dad Graham Quinn s shoulders Picture Matt Bohill Pacemaker Press Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland Niall McGinn Stuart Dallas and Josh Magennis ahead of the match against Hungary during Monday night s UEFA EURO 2016 Group F Qualifier at the National Football Stadium Windsor Park Belfast Picture by Brian Little Presseye Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary players during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Stuart Dallas during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Hungary manager Bernd Storck during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Northern Ireland Northern Ireland s Chris Baird during Sundays training session at Windsor Park ahead of Monday nights Euro 2016 Qualifier against Hungary Northern Ireland manager Michael O Neill right at this morning s training session Hungary awaits Picture David Hunter Hungary on the horizon as Northern Ireland train at Windsor Park Picture David Hunter UEFA is to set up a specific portal for the sale of the 1 000 extra Northern Ireland Euro 2016 finals tickets for those fans who missed out in seeing their team in France Many loyal supporters were left devastated after missing out in the scramble for tickets Share Facebook Twitter Google Email Go To Comments Some who have followed the team for almost 20 years were told they would not be getting tickets to matches in France this summer But others who had never bought a Northern Ireland ticket said they had been successful Furious fans branded the ticketing fiasco a shambles and demanded answers from the IFA and Uefa In the wake of the outrage UEFA released 1 000 extra tickets for the Poland game Northern Ireland s first game in a major finals in 30 years The IFA has said a site will be set up for the sale of tickets for the Poland game IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson told the BBC The 900 or so fans that we re talking about here will have priority access in fact specific access to a portal that Uefa are setting up and they should be able to buy tickets We re fairly confident that Uefa will manage this in the right way Last night First Minister Arlene Foster said she supported efforts by the IFA and Uefa to ensure that the deserving supporters are rewarded with tickets I recognise that many Northern Ireland fans are devastated at their failure to receive tickets for the European Championship she said It is vital that fans who have faithfully supported Our Wee Country are acknowledged for their dedication and commitment Euro 2016 will be an opportunity for our province to come together and celebrate a remarkable achievement for Northern Irish football I would also call on Northern Ireland fans not to purchase tickets from any third party source Last night Uefa bowed to mounting anger by allocating almost 1 000 extra tickets for Northern Ireland s opening game against Poland But supporters said it did not go far enough as huge numbers looked set to miss out on our first major tournament in 30 years On a day of fast moving developments l Some lifelong fans received emails yesterday morning saying their application for tickets had been unsuccessful l It then emerged a number who had attended none or just a handful of the qualifiers had struck lucky l The IFA issued a statement laying the blame on Uefa European football s governing body l Stories emerged of fans who had spent thousands on flights and hotels only to miss out on tickets l Uefa bowed to pressure announcing almost 1 000 extra tickets for the Poland game l But it offered no hope for fans who have missed out on the Ukraine and Germany clashes Last night supporters told of their fury as the full extent of the shambles became clear Keith Greenlees from Belfast missed out on some of the tickets he wanted and said he has to choose which of his two children to leave at home Me and my 15 year old son have tickets to the Germany and Ukraine matches and my 10 year old doesn t have any he explained I ve a terrible choice to make now It s crazy It s a joke the way they ve done it The ticket fiasco threatens to cast a shadow over the growing excitement surrounding Northern Ireland s first finals since the 1986 World Cup Michael O Neill s side will play three group games starting against Poland at the 35 000 capacity Stade de Nice on June 12 Then it is on to Lyon for the game against Ukraine at the 59 000 Stade de Lyon on June 16 They finish against world champions Germany at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 21 Tickets were on sale between December 14 and January 18 More than 50 000 applications were made but less than 30 000 tickets were available The Irish FA had said fans loyalty would be rewarded with those who regularly attended matches during the qualifying campaign given priority But many block bookers were told they had missed out The opening game against the Poles was a particular problem with many regular fans left empty handed Among those who failed to get tickets for this game was Gary McAllister from the Amalgamation of Official NI Supporters Clubs It s very disappointing not only for myself having missed out on one of the games but for many other people I know who have also missed out he said There just seems to be a lot of inconsistency in how the tickets have been allocated We have been inundated with supporters today who have attended games at Windsor Park and have travelled right through Windsor Park and beyond supporting the Northern Ireland team over a very long period of time who have been unsuccessful Yet some fans who did not buy a single ticket during the qualifying campaign were successful One fan said they had applied with no hope having never bought a ticket for a Northern Ireland game but were stunned to learn they had been successful for every match Block booker Dave Brady applied for all three games with his wife and did not get a single ticket I have hotels and flights for Nice and Paris booked and arranged for my wife and I have not received one single ticket he said I attended four away qualifying games To say it s disappointing is an understatement Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson said Our top priority throughout this entire process has always been to ensure that those fans that attended Northern Ireland games home and away in recent years should be at the front of the queue when it comes to buying tickets for Uefa Euro 2016 Therefore I would like to thank Uefa for working with the Irish FA to provide some resolution to this issue Uefa said Uefa are now in a position to make available extra tickets to ensure that those Northern Ireland fans at the top of the Irish FA s priority list will be able to attend the match These tickets will be across all categories and those top ranking fans who had missed out and who qualify for this new allocation will be contacted directly by Uefa towards the end of the month My son was texting me all day asking if we got any how do I tell him we won t be going Keith Greenlees Received an email from UEFA to say his application has been partially successful I ve two sons who are both under 18 One s 15 and one s 10 UEFA s policy is that you re only allowed to apply for two tickets per booking So now me and my 15 year old son have tickets to the Germany and Ukraine games and my 10 year old doesn t have tickets for any For years and years we ve all been going to the home games I ve a terrible choice to make now It s crazy it s a joke the way they ve done it They gathered all this information beforehand and said they would give block bookers priority I ve built this up to my sons I ve got my camper van ready to go over 2 Barry McClure Applied for three games got one ticket I would expect to be in the top 500 NI fans as I travel to away games so much I didn t expect to miss out on any tickets Out of the six in our group none of our block bookers got tickets and the three boys with only a couple of away games each got tickets for all the games I am livid Through dealings with the IFA in the past I expected them to mess it up They re pretty much incompetent about doing anything directly 3 Dave Brady Applied for all three games no tickets I applied for all three games Have hotels and flights for Nice and Paris booked and arranged for my wife and I have not received one single ticket I attended four away qualifying games To say it s disappointing is an understatement I guess we will be cheering from outside the stadiums I ve booked for the Germany game to stay in Boulogne I ve booked a hotel in Nice for the first game Our flights and hotels are paid for non refundable I haven t even phoned my wife to tell her so she ll be absolutely gutted as well 4 William Humphrey DUP MLA Applied for Lyon game I have been inundated by constituents today I ve been going to Northern Ireland games since I was a wee boy I ve been a block booker since it was introduced I applied for tickets and was turned down If you re going on loyalty points in the last two campaigns I ve been at every single Northern Ireland game including friendlies at home and got an email this morning telling me I was unsuccessful as was my nephew We re told that there s a system in place that s going to reward loyalty and clearly that hasn t happened 5 Gary McAllister Chairman of Amalgamation of Official NI Supporters Clubs It s very disappointing for many many people and I think it s only fair that we should be asking a number of questions which should be answered fully I got tickets for two out of the three games that I applied for but I would emphasise that it s not me as an individual I m speaking on behalf of the supporters We have been inundated with supporters today who have attended games at Windsor Park and have travelled right through Windsor Park and beyond supporting the NI team over a very long period of time who have been unsuccessful Our phone is absolutely red hot 6 Simon Bickerstaff Applied for all three zero tickets I m disgusted I ve been going since block booking began It used to be six men we would go out and have a few pints before the game And then go to the match But a couple of friends who went with us have actually passed away One has handed his tickets down to his son and I ve handed mine down to my son We ve been going probably for the last three campaigns My best friend and our two sons are best friends so they ve been talking about it we can t wait to go to Paris We were encouraged by the block bookings that we would get priority My son has been texting me all day Have we got our email yet So how do I tell him we re not going 7 Jonny Scott I m probably in the same boat as many I ve been a block booker for 10 years I haven t missed a home game for this campaign or the last campaign I think I had about 22 points I took it from that we would be more or less guaranteed the tickets We didn t get tickets for the Poland game which is the one everybody wants tickets to That was fine because there s more block bookers than tickets available But a lot of people with no points got the tickets we want to know how that happened It doesn t make sense 8 Helene McKendry Obviously the list wasn t applied for block bookers Fuming How is this fair for people who sat in Windsor Park when there was 3 000 supporters and when we were playing rubbish 9 Roy McKay I have only missed three matches in over 40 years at Windsor Park I was at Wembley in 1979 and 1985 and have travelled the length and breadth of Europe to watch the team My application was unsuccessful if the priority system was applied properly I would have got my tickets for me and my youngest son I pay my block booking every campaign for my two sons and a grandson Why did IFA leave it to the last minute to forward fans details Shambolic 10 Gavin Hughes I fear this ship has sailed but it is blatantly clear the points system has been completely ignored especially for the Poland game An absolute shambles Pounds over loyalty again modern day football summed up 11 Alan Robinson Attended four games during this campaign and even rung the IFA during the application process Was told everything would be OK but ended up with no tickets for any game Standing on the terraces of Windsor for decades long before it was cool to do so makes it all the more sickening 12 Andy Kirkpatrick The Irish Football Association needs to stand up and help those block bookers who haven t got for the Poland game it s a disgrace Help your fans out here and try to get more tickets seats for this fixture 13 Matthew Marshall I m lucky in having got tickets for all of the games The IFA are a complete disaster trying to blame UEFA for their mistakes Completely ridiculous that long term block bookers can t get tickets but people who don t go to games can Farcical 14 John Lavery A friend of mine who has

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Euro 2016 Northern Ireland fans treated like dirt - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Sport Related Content Why were our loyal Northern Ireland fans cast aside How to Complain If you have a complaint about the editorial content of the Belfast Telegraph or Sunday Life then contact the Editor here If you are not satisfied with the response provided then you can contact the Independent Press Standards Organisation here From the web Sponsored Videos Your Comments COMMENT RULES Comments that are judged to be defamatory abusive or in bad taste are not acceptable and contributors who consistently fall below certain criteria will be permanently blacklisted The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator s decision is final It is Belfast Telegraph policy to close comments on court cases tribunals and active legal investigations We may also close comments on articles which are being targeted for abuse Problems with commenting customercare belfasttelegraph co uk Powered by Livefyre Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Livefyre Read More Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none By Nevin Farrell A Northern Ireland fan whose photograph was used in a campaign urging people to go to Euro 2016 has himself missed out on tickets Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans By Steven Beacom The Irish FA have vowed to work closely with Uefa in the coming weeks to make sure that the 1 267 extra Euro 2016 tickets for Northern Ireland fans are allocated correctly this time Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener By Steven Beacom and Jonny Bell The IFA have said an extra 437 tickets will be released for Northern Ireland s opening Euro 2016 game against Poland Northern Ireland hero Gerry Armstrong Sort out our loyal fans over Euro 2016 tickets mess By Jonny Bell Gerry Armstrong has demanded football authorities ensure loyal Northern Ireland fans do not miss out on the team s Euro 2016 adventure in France Most Read Most Shared Most Commented Northern Ireland fan in Euro 2016 ticket ad ends up with none Euro 2016 Euro 2016 Just the ticket for loyal Northern Ireland fans Euro 2016 Roy Keane Manchester United is in my DNA Steven Gerrard was good and I wanted to play Euro 2016 Panini sticker album marks Northern Ireland Euro 2016 heroics with elusive shiny Euro 2016 Northern Ireland Euro 2016 400 extra tickets released for Poland opener Euro 2016 Pregnant woman booted off Belfast bus in blizzard because she didn t have change Northern Ireland Woman s body found on the M2 in Belfast near Bellevue Bridge Northern Ireland Cannabis oil transformed life of terminally ill brain tumour man Kieran McCrory Northern Ireland More than 500 000 watch Drumquin Northern Ireland men s sofa struggles Northern Ireland Boot out of rugby coaches who rush players with brain injuries back onto Northern Ireland James McClean involved in a touchline spat with Everton fan at Goodison Park Sinn Fein Northern chair steps down and replaced by Gerry Adams

Original URL path: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/euro2016/euro-2016-northern-ireland-fans-treated-like-dirt-34439872.html (2016-02-15)Open archived version from archive